New Jersey Halloween Costume Drive Brings In Record 3,600 Costumes

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- You've no doubt heard of coat drives and toy drives – but what about a Halloween costume drive?

As CBS2's Alice Gainer reported, a costume drive has, in fact, netted thousands of donations for kids in New Jersey.

The kids at the 13th Avenue School in Newark were officially ready for Halloween with their costumes picked out.

"I picked Power Ranger," said kindergartner Corron, 5.

"A red ninja…. I wanted to be it because I like red," said kindergartner Jacob, also 5.

And the twin boys' 3-year-old sister, Kamora, was a princess.

Their mother, Daiquanna Priveitte, said the children's costumes fit their personalities well.

And the costumes are all donated.

"This office was filled to the top of the ceiling with costumes a few days ago," said Jennifer Lewellen, senior manager of service events for Jersey Cares.

A record 3,600 costumes came into the Jersey Cares offices.

"Last year we did 1,200, so we tripled last year," Lewellen said.

The nonprofit has been asking groups and individuals to donate costumes for about a month.

"The costumes go to children who are students, so they go to a lot of schools, afterschool programs, community centers, shelters," Lewellen said.

They get everything from brand new costumes to gently used ones, as well as makeup and accessories.

And many of them are just the characters that kids want to be. Elmo is a popular choice, along with fairies, ballerinas, princesses, and even scary zombies, according to Lewellen.

"Halloween costumes may not be something you think about a child needing, so this one's a lot of fun, because Halloween is just about being who you want to be and inspiring kids, and giving everybody a little bit of hope," said Michelle Dee, vice president for external affairs for Jersey Cares.

The hope for the kids, of course, is that they get a lot of candy.

Tuesday marked the last day for costume donations. Jersey Cares' coat drive begins after Halloween.